It’s the cart before the horse at new Educate Together school

Dear Sir,

In April 2018 the then Fine Gael Minister for Education Richard Bruton announced the opening of a new 600 pupil post primary school in the South Drogheda/ East Meath area.

The news was much publicised by Fine Gael in the media at the time.

Unfortunately this school was not delivered in the way people of this area expected or deserve.

The new school - Drogheda Educated Together Secondary School opened as the Minister promised this September. But what misleading advertising it was by the Minister and the Department of Education!.

Here is what he did NOT say amid the media fanfare at the time of his new schools announcement. He didn’t tell us that the school would NOT have the prefabs on time as promised. He didn’t tell us that there is NO sign of planning for a permanent building in the near future.

The school is currently operating with only 36 students out of the Youth Reach Centre on the Colaiste Na Hinse site in Bettystown.

What the Minister and the Department should have stated to the media in April 2018, was that eventually the people of East Meath and South Louth will have a school capable of accommodating 600 students!.

He should have added that he had no idea of when the school would get a temporary site or permanent building. He should have said capacity will be 40 students in 1st year 2019/20 and 48 students in 1st year 2020/21 and will NOT nearly meet the demand for places.

The applications for next September is double if not more than the 48 places the school has capacity for. I know this because my son is 97 on a waiting list!

Who in the department allowed such a gross underestimation of need when preparing for and announcing the opening of this school?

What was Minister Bruton thinking by misleading us all with the promise of a new school for this area with all his media fanfare when he clearly could not deliver?

Is he aware that the Drogheda/ East Meath area has a population of 80,000 people and growing?

Capacity for 48 students only!- Minister McHugh you should now acknowledge using the Dail and the same media commotion to state that

Fine Gael misled the parents & young people in this is area. The reality of what the Department of Education is offering is an appalling letdown to both the new school principal, school staff and the people of South Louth and East Meath.

If a company was accused of misleading advertising they are answerable and held accountable.

It is the reality that our Government sold us a half truth, they advertised a new 600 pupil school without alerting us to the fact that it open in such a a piecemeal manner.

In their preparation for incoming 1st years this September and for the next coming years, one might assume that the Department of Education are working along side the Minister to ensure that the correct amount of prefabs are in place?.

One might also assume that the Minister and the Department of Education use the census to note demographics and are aware of the rapidly growing number of young people in East Meath / South Louth?

Cart before Horse?

Yours, Christine Carr

Congratulations to the 1st Year Futsal Squad from St. Mary’s Diocesan School on winning the Leinster title on Wednesday 13th November. St. Mary’s also won the Leinster title last year. The squad will go on to represent Leinster at the All-Ireland Competition in WIT Arena, Waterford on the 5th December, where hopefully they can become all Ireland Champions. Squad list from Photo: Mr. Brett, Paul Galvin, Eamonn Armstrong, Oran Collins, Leon Luzha, Ethan Burke, Mr. Hobbs. Front Row: Sam Heeney, Andrew Olajide, Alex Divine, Kyle Morris.

Celebrating the Science Week tree-planting initiative (L to R), Rosemary Collier, Director of National Historic Properties, OPW; Cormac Downey, Arboricultural Officer, OPW; Deborah Meghen Director of Stewardship Coillte; Helen McEntee, TD, Minister for European Affairs, and Dr. Ciarán Seoighe, Deputy Director-General, Science Foundation Ireland planted trees at the Battle of the Boyne site in Oldbridge as part of Science Week 2019.